Nina woke to find herself sprawled out across a stretch of the car’s interior, a dull pain running through her neck. Stretching it as she stifled a yawn, she silently cursed her poor sleeping posture before taking a glance at her surroundings. Svanda, who sat opposite her, snored lightly with her rifle placed across her lap. How she managed to sleep in such a rigid sitting position was a mystery, although Nina didn’t know if her size left her with any other options. At least her neck would remain intact, a fact that Nina found herself a little jealous over.

Judging by the light which filtered in through the windows, she guessed that it was morning. It was still rather dim, however, and the constant cloud cover above them made it difficult for her to confirm her thoughts. It wasn’t bright enough to wake either of the pair that she shared the car with at least. Saela, much like Svanda, was motionless. Her expression was hidden by the black hood which was pulled up around her face, while the pistol which she had set down before was gone. Back within a pocket somewhere, no doubt. Not that she minded. Svanda’s assault rifle was already enough of a reminder about what exactly they had gone through to get here.

Was Ormain even on the plate yet? And just where in all of this mess was Rucille hiding?

Turning her attention to the window, Nina looked outside to see that the car was gliding down a narrow road, a single lane in each direction cutting through the scenery around them. She was yet to see any other vehicles to share the series of shallow curves with, and the fact only accentuated the gloomy sense of isolation. Rising away from each side of the road were sweeping hills which were dotted with modestly sized trees, straight trunks supporting dense swathes of deep blue leaves which were also littered across the ground. What few of the leaves that had settled on the road were whipped up into the air as the car breezed past them, but their scattering was the only signs of movement across the otherwise silent landscape.

The forest, if she could even call it that, looked dead.

“Valewood,” Saela said, causing Nina to jump. “Fickle plants, always following the rivers that carve their way down the slopes. The course eventually changes, and the woods are left to die. Again and again, uprooting whatever was already there before eventually leaving the landscape as a barren waste.”

Nina turned, taking a glance at who she thought had been asleep. Saela’s face was still hidden beneath her hood, although Nina could tell that she was looking out the opposite window. It was surprising that she knew anything about such a remote place considering Saela’s usual behaviour, but Nina’s appetite for information pushed the question to the back of her mind. Svanda’s straightforwardness often made her a poor teacher, and so the opportunity to learn what she could from elsewhere was not something that she was about to reject.

“Not that it’s all bad,” Saela continued before a small yawn escaped from underneath the hood. “Eventually something else will rise from what remains, forbidden or not. Most often not, but you never know. Not like the clans have the resources to manage all of this anyway.”

“Forbidden?”

“You forgot already?” Saela sighed. “Abysswort, fisherleaf, drearwood, and the thirty days flower. We took Abysswort seeds to Zaffre’s, remember? This is where they’re from, Terminus’ old frontier.”

Nina resisted the urge to ask another set of questions, ignoring the barb before turning her attention to Saela herself. She was being surprisingly normal considering what had happened last night, and her openness left Nina feeling puzzled. She’d initially thought that her attitude could be attributed to the fact that they were essentially in the same boat now, but in the back of her mind it still didn’t make sense. Saela would never go against Reina if her earlier hostility was anything to go by, so her decision to get in the car seemed to be nothing but paradoxical. Drunkenness could maybe have played a role, but Nina wasn’t about to believe that logic either. Saela seemed too composed to have just woken up with a serious case of alcohol-fuelled regret, especially considering the magnitude of what they had just done.

Svanda might have worked it out already, although Nina didn’t want to wake her. She certainly didn’t want to ask Saela directly either. The smirk that she would have to face if she did wasn’t worth it, even if she couldn’t see it properly from underneath the hood.

“I remember, it’s just that there could have been more to it,” Nina replied, unsure if even she herself believed the excuse. It was at least semi-baked considering that she didn’t know if what she had been told earlier would have covered everything, but Saela probably wouldn’t give her the credit. Unfortunate perhaps, but Nina didn’t mind. Making assumptions was dangerous considering that just about everything changed from plate to plate, and errors had a wider range of consequences than she wanted to ever have the privilege of knowing about.

Saela ignored the comment before easing away from the window, leaning back into the chair before stuffing her hands into her pockets. Not wanting to press, Nina instead focused on the stretch of trees which lined the road, searching the scenery for anything of interest. Maybe she would see an animal if she was lucky, or at least some form of bird. The meat which ended up on her plate had to come from somewhere, although her first tour of the plates had proved to be surprisingly fruitless. If meat was farmed in a similar manner as to which it was on Caecus she didn’t know, but there should have always been at least a few exceptions. She’d have to ask Svanda. Not only was she the Terminus expert in the team, she was also a much more palatable alternative to Saela at the moment regardless of whether she was an inferior teacher or not.

As though her prayers had been answered, Svanda stirred before her eyes slowly opened. Nina watched her blink a few times as she took in their surroundings; her steady gaze flicking around the car’s interior before moving outside. A small frown soon formed across her lips when she did so, although Nina wasn’t particularly sure why. They were well out of Reina’s range by now, and so their progress shouldn’t have been an issue. The clock wasn’t ticking anymore, or at least she thought it wasn’t, and it wasn’t like the car was being held up in traffic either.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Besides our last-minute passenger, no,” Svanda replied as she placed her rifle on the seat, using the opportunity to stretch her legs out. Rolling her ankles around a few times before locking her fingers together, Nina watched as she completed her impromptu routine with a few more stretches.

“I’m wrong, am I?” Saela chuckled. “You should be thanking me. After cutting so many strings between you and Reina last night, a thread like me should be treated as a treasure. A good word or two from me when we get back might just be the thing that keeps your relationship intact, don’t you think?”

“Don’t try to twist this into you doing us a favour,” Svanda snarled in response. “The only thing you’re here for is you. If you want to put yourself in Reina’s good books by being her lapdog through this, fine, but don’t try to sell it as anything else.”

Svanda’s comment caused Nina to look up, her eyes focusing on the pout which she could now see underneath Saela’s hood. She’d had questions about Saela’s motives earlier, but now Svanda had answered them without her even needing to lift a finger. Things quickly fell into place as she connected the dots. Saela wasn’t even particularly interested in where they were going, instead she was simply interested in keeping Reina informed. It was quick thinking, Nina had to admit, and clever thinking too. Instead of reporting them after it had become too late to give chase, she’d decided to cling on to function as Reina’s eyes and ears. Saela wasn’t in the same boat as them at all; in fact, she had probably done the right thing as far as Reina was concerned.

Glancing at Saela once more, Nina now saw her in a different light. She was a separate party for all intents and purposes if that was the case, and her earlier decision to describe herself as a leash seemed apt. Whether she would yank at it or not, Nina didn’t know. A familiar situation, she mused, as her knowledge of just about everything on Terminus was severely lacking. Pieces would fall together over the next few days, but she remained apprehensive. They were travelling to the Daerx Clan after all, and the earlier comments from Jade and Aline were not something that she was about to forget.

“If you insist,” Saela finally said, her pout turning into a thin smile as she looked up at Svanda. “I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly over the next few days. Please take care of me.”